A blog about Gamecock sports and games

I live out in the country. The nearest Dollar General is 7 miles away, lol. My wonderful wife and I take care of a flock of chickens, two lovely pigs, and the imperial horses. We also have an old cat. I'm a South Carolina Gamecock. I like boardgames.

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“There ain’t no forgettin’.”

On October 9, 1999, Kentucky beat Lou Holtz’s first Gamecock football team by 21 points in Columbia. Soon after that blowout Kentucky victory, Kentucky beat writer Billy Reed, then a Herald-Leader sports columnist, crowed that the Gamecocks ought to be expelled from the SEC. Reed asserted the South Carolina football program was inept. Reed wrote:

The Gamecocks have brought virtually nothing to the table in football. They are the SEC family’s embarrassing cousin.

After Reed’s remarks, @GamecockFB tore up Kentucky for ten straight years. But now Kentucky is on a three game football winning streak. @UKCoachStoops has built a football program. The task before the Gamecocks players this coming Saturday night will be formidable. But unless something is done about it, Kentucky football sports writers might start chirping again. It’s time to remember Billy Reed . . . and get loud.

Missouri quarterback @DREWLOCK23 came into Columbia last year and drank our water. That was bad enough. But last night he called Finebaum’s nationally broadcast show and guaranteed Missouri would beat the Gamecocks. Have a listen. He has no respect for the @GamecocksFB.

According to @SportsTalkSC, the Belk College Kickoff Game will be officiated by an ACC crew. If you’re a veteran Gamecock fan, that’s really bad news. The ACC officials have a history of implementing horrible calls against the Gamecocks especially when NC State is involved.

One such example was the 1986 game in Raleigh. With 2:13 remaining and clinging to a six-point lead, the Gamecocks converted a third-and-12 from their own 15-yard line with a 23-yard pass from Todd Ellis to Ryan Bethea. State was forced to use its final timeout. But on a 2-yard loss on first down, the ACC clock operator inexplicably stopped the clock, bringing Morrison storming onto the field.

The clocks shenanigans on the Gamecocks final possession allowed the Wolfpack to receive the ball one more time with 33 seconds remaining. Considering that there are 40 seconds between plays, plus the time needed to run the three actual plays, more than two minutes should have run off the clock before the Wolfpack got the ball back. After an off-sides was called on the Gamecocks on ostensibly the game’s final play, the Wolfpack got another chance. They took advantage and scored on a 37-yard Hail Mary to Danny Peebles.

After the game, Morrison spoke to the media.

“This one was taken away from us, and I feel sorry for those players in the locker room,” he said. “N.C. State was out of timeouts, and I thought we could run the clock out. They stopped the clock after Raynard Brown’s run for no reason and then just took nine seconds off. . . . It was just a very questionable clock.”

It’s the wheel of fortuneIt’s the leap of faithIt’s the band of hopeTill we find our placeOn the path unwindingIn the circle, the circle of life

Elton John

This circle. Around and around. It was a decade ago. Is history about to repeat?

It was Thursday night, October 4, 2007. Kentucky football was 5-0 and ranked 8th nationally. Andre’ Woodson was a Heisman candidate and the Wildcats were averaging 46.6 points per game. Everyone was thinking was this the year Kentucky would emerge as SEC East Champions? They were favored to beat the Gamecocks that night.

However, a big Thursday night Gamecock crowd rattled Woodson and Eric Norwood had a night. In the end, it was the Gamecocks 38-23. ESPN Recap

But it’s the Gamecocks’ home opener. It is going to be be a crazy night. Sorry, Mrs. Thompson. Life’s a circle. Elton John’s a Gamecock.

There is no doubt about his football credentials. Anthony Darelle “Booger” McFarland, the former LSU defensive lineman, had a successful NFL career including two Superbowl rings. His commentary on the SEC Network in 2016 was consistently spot on. He even predicted that the Tennessee Volunteers will be “abysmal” in 2017, a prediction I can live with.

However, Booger lacks faith in the Gamecocks. Looking at that daunting schedule, Booger sees only four wins. Even Tennessee beats us. Ouch.

Today, the world is more accepting of geeks. It’s been a rising tide that lifted the science fiction, fantasy and pop culture convention industry. The mainstreaming of geek culture has turned DragonCon into a huge event.

Take a gander at this list of fan “tracks.” Each track represents another genre into which a Convention attendee may immerse herself.

If I were to be forced to select favorites at this time, my list, in no particular order, would look like this: